The Fraility of a Family
by darkwater-reflection
Summary: There is no such thing as a 'perfect' family. That's all I'm saying. Sequel to 'In Believe there is Lie'
1. Chapter 1

A/N: She asked me to, and so I'm doing it. This is the _sad _sequel to Naruto and Hinata's married life.

Oh, you guys might _not _like it. Oh well.

Chapter one, hot off the presses.

Chapter 1: Christmas 

"Rei, could you give me a hand with this?" Hinata called, balancing the tray of hot turkey on her head as her left hand held a plate of shrimp, and her right hand held a tray laden with drinks.

Rei dashed into the kitchen, her white eyes slightly amused. "Man, mom, Hyuuga's sure have a good sense of balance."

"That may be true," Hinata said gratefully as Rei took the turkey of her head, "but I don't feel like training right now."

Rei placed the tray on the table, her chin-length bluish-black hair swinging. On the floor, Ken, her seven-year-old brother happily levitated a kunai, using his chakra, just like his father had taught him. His blue eyes flashed happily as the kunai levitated high above his head.

"Hey, mom," Rei said, choosing her words carefully, "have…have you heard from Shien lately?"

Though Hinata's back was to her thirteen-year-old daughter, Rei could see that she had stiffened.

"No," Hinata finally choked out, "no, I haven't."

"Do…do you think he's going to spend Christmas here?" she asked, flopping down on a chair.

"I…don't know. I…hope not."

"Why not?" she asked, eyebrow arched, "he is part of this family. Who he helped doesn't change he fact that he should be with us. Right now."

"You know your father," Hinata said softly, "he's…hot-headed. I don't even want to think how he'll react the next time he sees Shien."

Rei bit her lip and kept quiet.

From the floor, Ken looked up. "Hey, nee-san," he said, trying to change the subject, "the Jounin meeting for next week was canceled, right?"

"Yeah," she said, thankful for the tack change, "but the ANBU meeting is taking its place."

"As long as I'm not going," he shrugged, "Jounin duties are tough enough without the monthly meetings. And a week after Christmas, too. Dad must be insane."

"Well, ever since the Suna waged war, you can't blame him for trying to protect this village," Hinata said as she pulled a steaming apple pie from the oven.

"The Suna didn't wage war," Rei corrected her, "they said it was an accident. Gaara-sama even apologized."

"Yeah," Ken piped up, "Dad's just too cold to listen to him."

"Shh," Hinata said, pressing a finger to her lips, "someone's at the door. If that was your dad, you'd probably be looking at extra training."

They clamped their hands over their mouth as Hinata opened the door.

"Merry Christmas!"

Sakura greeted her with a big hug, wafting a smell of cherry into the house.

"Sakura-san," Hinata greeted her, hugging her back. "Merry Christmas."

"Annie!" Rei said, running to the door. Uchiha Annie was at least two years older than her, but they were best friends.

Annie grinned, her green eyes flashing. "Long time no see. You skipped last Jounin meeting."

"We were tired," she said, gesturing to Ken as well.

"Hokage-sama wasn't happy," Annie said, grinning.

"How I know," Rei rolled her eyes, "extra training. Thirty more minutes after sundown."

"Ouch." She said sympathetically.

"Sasuke-san," Hinata said cheerfully, her eyes resting on the tall, dark-haired nin. "Long time no see."

"You have to stop calling us 'san' all the time," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "It makes me twitch."

"Sorry." She said meekly. "How's Haru?"

"Right here." he said, smiling and hugging her. Sasuke's oldest son was at least a year older than Shien, and he was the spitting image of his father. His dark brunette hair was tied back into a ponytail, like his uncle, Itachi.

"We brought over cherry pie," Sakura said breathlessly, "you know, as an apology gift for not spending Christmas with you guys this year. You know my mom." She finished, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks," Hinata grinned, taking the pie.

"That smells pretty good."

Hinata promptly dropped the pie plate. Her eldest son, Shien, was standing right behind the Uchihas, a small, wan smile on his pale face.

"Shi-Shien," Hinata muttered, eyes wide.

Haru whipped around. "You…you're…you're here! You're back!"

Shien grinned. "Man, you're an ANBU, but you didn't even feel my presence? Gotta do better than that."

Haru's face broke into a small. He grabbed his hand, and the two bumped shoulders.

"You're back," he repeated in a hoarse whisper.

Shien nodded mutely. Haru let him go, and he turned and faced his mother. He was several inches taller than her, and it struck her just how frail she looked.

"Mom." He whispered.

He broke off as he felt her arms wrap him in a bone-crushing hug. He returned it, trying to bite back the emotions flooding him. For three, long years, he had been apart from his family.

He felt other arms wrap around him, a few small whimpers of "Nii-san," and "you're back."

He broke away to look at his siblings. Rei had definitely grown a lot, her eyes more steely and cold, but right now they were brimming with tears.

Ken had grown as well, no longer the bouncy boy he had left. He was now wearing the Jounin coat.

"Well," Sakura said, a smile touching her lips, "we'll leave you to your reunion."

They quietly left, disappearing into the cold, crisp winter night.

"Nii-san, nii-san," Ken said excitedly, "how's Gaara-sama? I heard he wasn't feeling well."

"Yep," he said, ruffling his younger brothers mass of bluish-black hair, "and I'm not surprised. He's handling a lot right now."

"I wish you'd been here to witness my being accepted into Jounin level," he said, his voice falsely cheerful, "all my classmates were there."

"Don't you mean your 'friends'?" Hinata said, looking at him, eyebrow arched.

Ken shook his head no. "I don't think they like me very much. They're always complaining that sensei treats me specially because I'm the Hokage's son. And they also say it's not fair that I'm in the same class as them since dad taught me more than they know. I told dad about it, but he said not to listen. He says they're just jealous."

"I don't want to hear about your Jounin life," he said, shaking his head. "I want to hear about your stories. I remember your last one, about the wandering shinobi who's blind. That was good. Did you finish it?"

Sullenly, he shook his head. "Dad tore it up."

"The whole 43 pages?"

"Uh-huh. He said I shouldn't be wasting my time with creating alternate worlds. Only weaklings write stories, he said."

"He's wrong," Shien said firmly, "and you know it. I suggest you try to start over. You've got talent for that kind of thing, and you ought to be utilizing it."

"Shien," Rei said, "why did it take you so long to come back?"

"You won't believe how many people are wounded because of this stupid war," he said gravelly, "I couldn't leave so quickly. And, don't forget that dad sent a couple of your ANBU buddies to chase me, so I had to lie low for a-" he broke off, the sound of the door creaking open taking away the noise in the room and leaving the heavy silence to hang.

Naruto's steel-blue eyes wandered over the whole family, before resting on his eldest son.

"So," he said softly, cerulean eyes flashing dangerously, "you've finally come back."

"Yeah," Shien said defiantly, aware of his brother and sister shrinking behind him, "yeah, I have."

"That's some courage, especially for a traitor like you."

"Please," Hinata cut in, voice trembling, "Naruto-kun, Shien, its Christmas! For once, please…please…can't we have a peaceful family gathering?"

Father and son glared at each other, their likeness striking. Shien looked like Naruto did, so many years ago…

Finally, Naruto broke the tension hovering. "You're right, Hinata," he said softly, "its Christmas. This family will be whole again, like before, although…"

"…we never really will be. Again." Shien finished, his thoughts on the same wavelength as Naruto's.

oOo

"I'll cut the turkey!" Ken announced, reaching for the knives.

"Slow down," Hinata said, "I don't feel comfortable with you holding those knives."

"Who said I'd hold them?" Ken asked, half-laughing, as he levitated the knives and angled them so he could make the first slice.

"I see you've finally gotten that technique," Naruto said approvingly as he reached for the soup.

"Oh, you mean the technique that only thirteen or fourteen-year-olds are capable of learning? Yeah, I guess he did." Shien said nonchalantly, reaching for the first slice of turkey.

He stopped when he noticed that the table was deathly quiet. He looked up.

Naruto was glaring at him, eyes filled with quiet anger.

"Uh…Rei, how's Annie doing in the ANBU?" Hinata said quickly, hoping to change the topic to a less dangerous one.

"Oh…yeah, she's fine." Rei said, cottoning on, "she's kind of bummed that they got to go escort the ninja back to the land of mists and she didn't. She's been wanting to see that land for ages."

"Pretty understandable," Hinata agreed, "the land of mists is well known for the mystery that enshrouds it."

Having nothing else to say, Rei simply nodded and silence resumed once more.

"Hey, Ken," Shien said suddenly, "how would you like to go sledding tomorrow? I bet I could still dig up my old sled up there."

Ken's face brightened. "Honest? That would be great!"

"You can't," Naruto cut in, "there's another ANBU meeting. Apparently, several members have been reported dead."

Shien glared at him angrily. "Dad, it's _Christmas! _I haven't seen Ken for three years."

"And whose fault is that?" Naruto said testily, "I didn't make you run away."

"Yeah, but you set your guard dog ninjas after, and they would have jailed me immediately! Of course I had to run away!"

"You've no one to blame but yourself," Naruto said, blue eyes ablaze with cold fire, "If you hadn't helped those…_sanin,_" he said the word with distaste, "this never would have happened! You would be an ANBU already instead of an outcast! You could have been here to witness your brother and sisters promotion into ANBU instead of being-"

"Yeah, about that!" Shien cut in angrily, "I've been meaning to ask why the heck you'd let Ken into ANBU!"

"He's highly skilled, obviously," Naruto said coolly.

"He's a child, obviously!" Shien said exasperatedly. "For heavens sake, dad, ANBU members are in more danger than any other ninja! And he wouldn't even _be _highly skilled if you hadn't pushed him! If you had just let Rei and Ken train at their own pace, take up their own choice of hobby…"

"They'd be the laughingstock of town!" Naruto roared.

"They'd be _happy_!" Shien roared back.

"Are you insinuating that I'm mistreating them?"

"In a word…yes! Everything you make them do, everyway you want them to act, it's so that _your _name won't be tarnished! Won't be made fun of! Everything you do dampens the spirit of this family!"

"Liar!" Naruto yelled, standing up and upsetting the table slightly, "Everything I do is _for _this family!"

"Yeah, right!" Shien said, standing up as well, "You wanted me to become Hokage so that the Uzumaki clan name would be remembered, maybe even honored more, like the Uchiha! You pushed Ken, and look, you can proudly go around, saying, 'my son became a Chuunin at four, Jounin at six, and ANBU at seven.' You wanted Rei to be talked about, to be exalted by the sensei's, that you taught her techniques you knew perfectly well were beyond her capacity!"

"That's a lie, and you know it!"

"It's the truth, and you won't accept it!"

Naruto's hand started to glow, blue chakra swirling brilliantly in the palm of his hand.

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed, standing up, "No! Please…no…"

"I won't have an insolent brat speak to me like that!" Naruto yelled, "Especially one who turned his back to the whole village and helped the enemy!"

"The 'enemy' is your _friend, _Gaara-sama," he shot back, "and he wanted to apologize for the mass killing, wanted to explain, but you didn't give him a chance! Instead, you waged war!"

"Which we are winning, no thanks to you!"

"You're winning because Gaara-sama doesn't want to fight!" He said, tears starting to form, "and now, he's beating himself up, because he thinks that war is all his fault! He thinks he did something so wrong that not even the man who he thought was his best friend could forgive him! Why do you think he's so ill? Why do you think he's dying? Its emotional pain, dad, and you're not helping it heal! You're cold, dad! You're colder and more heartless than he ever was!"

Suddenly, a loud explosion interrupted them. Everyone jerked their head to the doorway.

Several masked ANBU were standing, their arms at ready.

"Naruto," Hinata whimpered, "no…"

Immediately, the ANBU converged on Shien, grabbing his arms and holding them painfully behind his back.

"NO!" Rei screeched, her milky-white eyes flashing. She leapt over the table and kicked them in mid-air, causing them to loosen their hold. She landed in front of her brother, eyes narrowed dangerously. "You can't take him! And I don't care what my father says!"

"Rei!" Naruto snapped.

"He's right!" she said, her voice mixed with panic, fear, and despair, "He's right, dad, he's right! I don't want this anymore! Everyday, my chakra level is lower than my classmates, leaving me exhausted, since I spent the morning training. People hate me because the teachers always use me as the model, saying that they need to reach my level, that they can't hope to reach my talent, that they're sure I can do a new technique easily…thanks to that-thanks to _you_-I don't have any friends at all!" She turned to the ANBU.

"I'm serious! Let him go, or…I'll kill you!"

"Rei," Naruto said, his voice calm, "come on. Be a good girl and don't stand in their way."

"No, no, no!" Ken yelled, running to join her, "You can't take him! You can't!" his voice was dripping with rage, "leave him alone, you big meanies!"

The ANBU still didn't do anything.

"I'm warning you," Rei said, her hands starting to glow. Hinata had helped her perfect the Hyuuga fighting style, the one thing Rei had actually _wanted _to learn.

Finally, the ANBU let go. Quickly, Rei and Ken ran up to hug him.

"Nii-san," Rei said urgently, "you have to leave Konoha. Go to Suna. Gaara-sama will understand."

He nodded. "Take care of each other. I don't know how long I'll be in hiding, so that means you're the eldest. Take care of your brother. No killing."

She chuckled, then nodded. A few tears rolled down her cheek.

"Ken," Shien continued, "you're the man of the family now. You can handle that, can't you?"

"I…I won't…l-l-let you down," he whispered, trying to look brave, but crying at the same time.

"Shien," Hinata murmured.

He looked at her, then wrapped her in a hug. "Be brave, mom," he whispered.

He looked up. Naruto was looking at him. His eyes gazed into Naruto's, and…he saw something. Regret? Guilt?

He turned away, leaped over the ANBU, and disappeared into the night.

Silence.

"He's now an S-rank criminal in the bingo book," Naruto said, turning to the ANBU, "alert all Jounin and ANBU, and bring him back."

They stood still, as if still waiting for something more.

He nodded. "Dead or alive."

"NOOO!" Hinata screamed. The ANBU disappeared into the night, deaf to her cries.

A/N: Yep, Naruto's completely OOC. If you don't like, it don't kill me! Please?

Okay…I'm done.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Why do we authors always start our chapters with author's notes?

Chapter 2: All My Fault 

Hinata buried her head in her hands, trying not to remember what had happened last night. Naruto was somewhere in town, on some sort of business. Who cared?

She picked up a small pebble and threw it into the water, watching it skip once, twice, then finally sink.

What had happened to Naruto? What happened to his smile, his kind heart, and all the things she had once admired in him? He had treated his – _their _– children like soldiers, and _this_ was the result.

_Why? _She thought, the tears dripping into the water. When they had started out, she had never imagined this to happen. Then again, she was stupid for believing that their family would be perfect. No family was like that.

* * *

Gaara clutched the edges of the desk. He silently thanked the fact that it was nighttime. That way, she wouldn't see the worry on his face.

"How…how did he-?" he didn't need to elaborate. The medic nin in front of him shook her head sadly, her pink hair flying back and forth.

"It was lucky we ran across him on our way out of Konoha," Sakura said softly, "but…well, it was one of the ANBU who attacked him, you see, and…it was pretty gruesome."

"He's in the hospital right now, right?" Gaara said, trying to stop the panic rising in his chest.

She nodded. Gaara stood up, thanked her, and walked out the door, making his way to the hospital.

Once there, he made his way to the room.

"Kazekage-sama," a medic nin tried to block him, "I'm afraid you can't come in right now."

Gaara just glared at him. No one was going to stop him from seeing his brother. No one.

The medic nin glanced at his eyes, and he weakened visibly. "My apologies. Go right ahead."

Gaara strode in. The medic nins inside the room glanced up at him.

"Out."

In a matter of seconds, the whole room was cleared.

Gaara walked over to the bed. Kankurou's face was so pale, his mouth open, frosting the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

Gaara drew up a chair and sat down, silent as ever.

He looked up at the heart monitor. The machine was lying. His brothers heartbeat could not be that weak. When it was weak, it meant that the person was close to death. And Kankurou wasn't going to die. He couldn't.

"Nii-chan…" he said softly, grasping his hands, "I know you can hear me. Come on…I need your help right now, and you can't help me if you're unconscious. Get up."

Kankurou had no reply. The whole room was silent, save for the occasional, annoying 'beep' coming from the heart monitor.

"Come on," Gaara said again, tugging at his hands, much like a six-year-old did when he wanted his mother to follow him or take him somewhere, "I need you right now, Nii-chan. You've always given good advice. You've always given me words of comfort. I need those right now. Please…_get up_."

He still wouldn't. Gaara started to get angry. He was making him wait so long. His brother wasn't like that. He never failed to help Gaara. Why was he acting like this right now? The sand started to stir, like it could sense his anger and was just reacting to his mood.

"Gaara," a soft voice came from the doorway, "I…don't think he can hear you."

Gaara looked up. Sakura was standing there, along with Sasuke. They stepped inside.

"Yes, he can," Gaara said stubbornly, "he's perfectly all right. I guess he's just tired."

Sasuke looked at the heart monitor. It was awfully weak. He bit his lip. As if Gaara didn't have enough to worry about! He couldn't bear to listen to this anymore. Gaara was so strong, but he was fragile deep inside. He was just a kid. A kid who grew up _too_ fast. A kid who lost so many things in his life, who had so many frustrations. Disappointments.

"Gaara," Sakura said softly, "why don't you go now? Kankurou needs his rest. Maybe if you visited him later…"

"No," Gaara said, his face angry, "if I leave, he'll just slip away. I need to snap him out of it." With that, he turned back to his brother, tightening his grip.

"Come on," Sasuke said, "stop trying to convince yourself. You know why your brother's like this." He didn't want to be so blunt, but it would be harder if Gaara kept doing this. "Your presence won't affect your brother's condition."

Gaara was silent. He turned his face away. Slowly, after a few moments, he let go of his brother's hand. The shadows played across his face, darkening his features, like a mask.

Unexpectedly, a sob escaped his throat.

Sakura drew back in shock. Gaara crying? How…? It didn't seem possible!

"I…I know it won't," he said, looking to face them. Sasuke nearly cried out. Tears were streaming down his pale cheeks, his teal eyes so full of sadness and pain and anger and hopelessness.

"But…but…I h-have to try! I don't want h-him to…to…"he turned away to look at his brother, and he drew in a sharp intake of breath.

"Please…please don't go away," he said softly. Sakura's heart went out to him. He sounded like a kid, begging his mom not to leave him alone.

"Don't go away, like nee-chan. You promised you'd always be there for me. Promised!" He was crying openly. "I still need you, like I needed her! But she went away, so now…now…please don't leave me! Please!" his head sank to his knees, his shoulders heaving up and down. "Please…" he finally whispered, "don't…don't…"

Sasuke put a comforting arm on Sakura. She was crying as well, and he didn't blame her. It was pitiful to see the Kazekage like this, but then again, it wasn't so bad.

He really _was _still a kid.

* * *

Shien groaned as he knelt by the stream, splashing some of the soothing water on his face. He had run all night, telling himself not to stop. He was sure his dad had sent ANBU after him, and he didn't want to get caught.

He took of his shirt, which was soaked through with sweat. This was a fine way to spend Christmas morning. Running for your life, unsure whether your next step would bring death or not. Yeah, his life was just a bundle of laughs.

He took off his boots and his pants as well, which were kind of muddy. With a sigh of relief, he sank into the water, wondering how his life had gone so completely to hell.

* * *

Naruto sighed as the warmth washed over him. The hot springs always relieved him whenever he felt stressed. He sank in until the water reached just below his nose. His cerulean eyes closed, and without meaning to, he nodded off.

"_It's the truth and you won't accept it!"_

"_Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke wishes to see you…"_

"_Naruto, this has got to stop now! Gaara never wanted this war to break out! You're the one who's causing the deaths of so many."_

"His_ ninjas are the ones who killed Konohamaru! You ask _him_ why! Why couldn't he control _his_ people?"_

"_They were acting against his orders, maybe! For heaven's sake, Naruto, stop acting like this! Gaara never meant to start the massacre!"_

"_And how do you know?"_

"_He said it!"_

"_And why should I trust him? That was the mistake I made before, and it caused me so much pain. I'm not the Naruto you knew before. I'm not as trusting as I once was. Now leave."_

Naruto woke up with a start. He had dozed off, by the looks of it.

Sasuke's words rang in his head.

"You're _the one who's causing the deaths of so many!…"_

"No," he whispered, closing his eyes, trying to block out the resounding words in his head, "no…I'm just protecting my village. My responsibility."

"_It's the truth and you won't accept it!"_

That was a lie. All a lie. Naruto was just trying to strengthen his kids, to ensure that they would be all right. He didn't want them to get hurt.

_But the way you treat them…isn't that hurting them emotionally?_

Naruto shook his head. "Stop…" he said softly, "I don't mean to…I'm not hurting them! I'm not!"

He stood up and hurriedly scrambled out of the hot springs, panting, panic rising uncomfortably.

"I'm not!"

* * *

"…please get up."

Shien didn't want to. It was wonderful, to hover in unconsciousness. No more pain, suffering, agony…

He felt something damp pressing against his forehead. It was uncomfortably soothing…

He wasn't making sense. How could it be uncomfortable and soothing? What was happening?

"Oh…this isn't going to work."

Who was saying that?

Suddenly, he felt something hard hit him across his cheek, leaving behind an unbearable sting. That shook him awake. With a start, he gave a small yelp and sat up.

His eyes fell to a pair of teal eyes. He gave another yelp and backed away. However, his hands found empty air, then the soft surface of water. He fell back into the stream, spluttering. A pair of hands grasped his forearms and pulled him back up.

A girl was looking up at him, her silky black hair shaking as she giggled. Her teal eyes flashed and lit up with laughter.

"My, you're certainly…clumsy," she said, half laughing. She then extended her hand. "I'm Kei. Nice to meet you. Even nicer to know you're alive. I thought you had drowned or something."

Shien couldn't speak. He was still in shock to see someone else. Then, he found his voice.

"Uzumaki Shien," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Um…thanks…for, uh, fishing me out of the stream. Guess I dozed off."

He noticed her looking uncomfortable. "Uh…I think you should…um…put on your shirt."

He blushed, remembering that he was only wearing underwear. He quickly grabbed his clothes. She turned away, covering her eyes.

When he was done, she turned around again.

"Come on," she said, "seeing your forehead protector, you're from Konohagakure, right?"

He nodded mutely.

"Well, hop on," she said, indicating her horse, "I'll take you back."

Shien was silent for a moment. "I'm not going back," he finally said, "never again."

Kei paused to look at him. "You…ran away?" she guessed, looking at him, her teal eyes curious.

"Guess you could say that."

"Well, where are you going?"

"I was planning to go to Suna."

"What a coincidence," Kei said happily, the smile returning to her face, "Suna's my home. I'm sure you'll be welcome there. Come on, I'll take you."

Shien paused, then smiled. Without another word, he jumped onto the horses back, and they sped away, disappearing into the heavy canopy of leaves and vines.

* * *

It was so quiet, the silence was deafening. Sasuke looked at Sakura. Her tears had pretty much dried up, but she was still clutching onto him.

She was lucky. She had someone to hold on to. Someone to run to for comfort when things were upsetting or unsettling or just too much to handle.

Who did Gaara have? Who was there for him, to hold on, to cling to, to listen to, in times of trouble?

No one. He was alone. All over again.

Suddenly, Gaara stood up. He looked at the two of them. His features were once again mask-like.

"I'm sorry," he said tonelessly, "it must have been…disturbing for you to see the Kazekage act like this. Please. You saved my brothers life. At least stay here for one night before continuing on your journey."

"Gaara," Sasuke said, letting go of Sakura and stepping forward, "I…I've always thought little of you. You were my friend, yes, but I never thought much about you. But now…you're suffering, and I want to help you. I swear, I'll talk to Naruto. I'll make him stop this pointless war if it means that you can return to how you once were. I'll give you people to hold on to, Gaara, because no one should ever be alone."

His onyx eyes caught hold of Gaara's teal gaze. He was saying it, plain and simple.

_Trust me._

Gaara turned away. It was hard to. All trusting ever really brought was pain, and he wasn't…ready…prepared…to handle the pain.

"I…couldn't save them," Gaara finally said, "I couldn't stop my men from killing the Konoha nins, and I just watched the bloodshed. I felt helpless. Useless. I wasn't even strong enough to save my men from Naruto's attacks. What…what kind of leader am I?"

He glanced up at Sasuke, shaking in anger. "I couldn't save my sister from my fathers blade. I couldn't save my brother from injury. I'm useless, aren't I? This…all this pain that's happening to me now is punishment for all the things I've done. All the things I failed to do. I…I will never be forgiven. My past was stained with blood, and it's just coming back to haunt me. I'm sorry, but I can't trust you. I'm not strong enough."

"And I don't care," Sasuke said firmly, "I don't care if you'll never trust me, Gaara. I will help you. And I will keep my word."

A/N: Hmmm….this chapter was just full of ramblings…

I cannot believe I am making _my _favorite character the villain here! Gomen, Naruto-kun!!!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I keep forgetting to do this…

Thanks to Captain A.D.D for the idea for the title.

Chapter 3

"Of course you can stay here," Gaara said, albeit emotionlessly, "I think several of the inns have free rooms. Unless…you'd rather stay at my house."

"No, thank you," Shien answered, feigning a smile, "I'll stay in one of the inns."

Gaara looked away. He still felt incredibly drained.

"I'd rather you stay with me," he finally said, "after all, aren't godfather's supposed to provide for their god kids?"

Shien really smiled this time. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, it was become more and more obvious that Gaara's heart was softening.

"All right," he said, "if you say so."

Gaara nodded. "I still have to stay here. You can go ahead. Here," he handed him the key to the house.

"Thanks," Shien said gratefully.

Without another word, he turned and left the office.

Stepping out of the tower, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of Suna at night. The stars shone brightly above, looking like droplets of water glistening on the expanse of sky. The moon was full and bright, illuminating the houses that dotted the dusty streets.

Shien turned left, making his way down the all-too familiar streets leading to Gaara's house.

In no time, he found himself facing the dust-colored building. There wasn't any light illuminating the circular windows, which Shien found quite odd. Kankurou, Gaara's brother, usually came home earlier than he did.

Shien shrugged it off, and unlocked the door, stepping into the foyer.

It was like his second home already.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei. You're here."

Hatake Kakashi turned away from his book and looked up. Naruto was standing a few feet away, looking surprised.

"Honestly, Naruto," Kakashi shook his head, "you don't know how weird it is for the Hokage to be calling me 'sensei'."

"Sorry," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I guess it became kind of a habit.":

Kakashi stood up. "I see you also favor the rooftops, eh?"

Naruto nodded. "Always did."

Kakashi closed his eyes. "I still can't get over how much you look like the Yondaime. Hard to believe that you used to be the most hardheaded, annoying, stupid, stubborn-"

"Yeah, I get the point." Naruto cut in. " I really surprised everyone when Tsunade named me the new Hokage."

Kakashi closed his book and tucked it in his pocket.

"So…the war still going on?"

"If you mean the war where the ninja's on each village kill the opponents only in secret, yeah. It is."

"Why did you start it anyway?" Kakashi asked lightly, leaning on the railing.

"I didn't start it," Naruto said grumpily, "_he _did."

"You mean your _friend, _Gaara, did. Why can't you call him by name anymore?"

"I…I'd rather not talk about it," Naruto grumbled, leaning on the railing as well, gazing up at the five faces of the past Hokage.

"Why not?" Kakashi asked, "I mean, he already said he didn't mean it. He already said the nins had been acting _against _his orders. You know…against? As in, not _following _what he said?"

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid," Naruto sighed, "I've had enough of that when I was younger."

"You're not answering the question," Kakashi said in a singsong voice.

"It was obvious he was lying," he said, leaning on his arm, "I mean, since _when _have the nins gone against the Kazekage's orders?"

"Since now?"

"Don't start, please. I don't feel like it." Naruto groaned.

Kakashi shook his head. "Don't you think you should at _least _talk to him?"

"I did." Naruto said flatly.

"…and…?"

"More deception, more lies. What more is there?"

"That sounds a little gloomy for you."

"I've changed, okay?" Naruto threw up his hands, exasperated, "When will everybody get that and get off my case?"

"You obviously haven't spoken to Gaara well enough to understand that he's blaming _himself_," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

"And why shouldn't he?"

"Naruto, it wasn't his fault," Kakashi said, starting to get exasperated and annoyed himself, "but he thinks it is. Now, he's succumbed to sickness, and the medic nins are accrediting it over-stress! Don't you get it? He's worried for his village, he's worried for yours, he's worrying about _everything! _For Kami's sake, he's even worried about your son! And who are worried about? No-"

"Don't you dare say 'nobody'," Naruto said angrily, glaring at him, his hands curling into fists, "I've been worried plenty the past few days. How do you think I feel knowing my son is camping out with…with…a _monster_?"

Kakashi actually took a few steps back, shocked. "N-naruto…" he muttered.

Naruto realized what he said, and he cursed inwardly, "I never meant it like that," he said softly, "but…to be honest…I was never sure about anything the day I became Hokage. So…I'm sorry. But I guess Tsunade made a wrong choice when she appointed me, huh?"

Without another word, he clasped his hands together to form a seal, then he slowly disappeared from Kakashi's sight.

* * *

"Well, this is…unexpected."

Naruto looked up. Sasuke was looking down at him with a half-smirk on his face.

"What is?" he asked, feeling slightly grumpy.

"It's just…you…in here…" he took a deep breath and tried again, "you do _not _know how weird it is to see _the _Hokage, sitting in this shop, stuffing his face with ramen."

"I'm not even stuffing my face," Naruto pointed out flatly, reaching for a pair of chopsticks.

"Whoa," Sasuke held up his hands as he sat down, "he becomes the Hokage and suddenly he's Mr. Attitude!"

"Look, I don't need this, okay?" Naruto groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Glad to see becoming Hokage hasn't stopped you from coming to our shop," the girl behind the counter smiled at him, handing him a bowl of steaming ramen.

Her father nodded. "Guess you'll always be my best customer."

Naruto chuckled as he accepted his bowl. Sasuke held up a hand.

"I'd like one, too, please." He said, picking up a pair of chopsticks with his other hand.

"What do you want?" Naruto groaned, sticking his chopsticks into his bowl.

"A bowl of pork-flavored ramen, if you don't mind."

Naruto groaned, "Wasn't 'corny jokes' my department?"

"_Was_. Past tense."

Naruto nearly told him to shut up, then thought better and contented himself by putting a generous helping of ramen into his mouth.

Sasuke sighed. "Okay, all jokes aside, I just wanted to talk to you about…Gaara."

The chopsticks in Naruto's hands snapped.

"Sorry," he said apologetically to the old man, "I guess I keep forgetting my own strength." He laid the splintered chopsticks next to his bowl and picked up a fresh pair.

A/N: I need to cut this short…

Sorry…

Why am I ending my sentences with 'dot, dot, dots'?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rei gritted her teeth, tasting the blood flowing around. She felt her ribs gingerly, wincing slightly under the touch. She looked up, her pale white eyes flashing dangerously.

Haru looked down at her, an eyebrow raised coolly.

"Guess the Uchiha's will always be better than Uzumaki's, eh?" he said sneeringly.

"You wish," she spat out, trying to get up.

From the stands, Sasuke had to grin slightly at Naruto.

"Must be kinda embarrassing, huh?" he said lightly, his eyes still on the combatants, "half the village is watching the _Hokage's _daughter get beat up."

Naruto glared at him. Sasuke drew back.

"Chill. I was kidding."

He glanced out into the arena, his blue eyes meeting her silver ones.

Rei nearly winced at the intensity of his gaze She knew what he was trying to say:

_Get up. You're humiliating me._

She pushed herself to her feet, then took her stance. Her right hand was flat open, facing Haru. Her other hand was balled into a fist and resting at her hip.

Haru had to grin. "Hey, Rei, nothing personal. After I kick your butt, we'll still be friends, right?"

She grinned back, though her eyes were cold, "Sure. After I pound you to a pulp, we'll still be friends."

"Easy with the bravado," he said, the smile vanishing from his face, "you'll feel so stupid when I put you in the hospital."

He dashed forward. Rei steadied herself.

He came closer, and then jumped at the last moment.

"_Katon…Housenka no Jutsu!_" He performed a few seals, then blew spewed out fireballs from his mouth.

Rei smirked, then started to turn.

"_Hakkeshou Kaiten…_" her voice rang out, "Hyuuga's Ultimate Defense!"

The chakra shield completely stopped his fireballs.

He cursed as he landed on his feet. She started to slow down. Taking advantage, he took out his kunai, than flung them at her.

There was a collective gasp as the kunai sunk deep into her neck.

Haru's eyes were wide in shock as he saw the blood spurt out. Rei staggered a bit, then fell forward.

The whole arena was quiet. Haru seemed frozen in shock. He managed to shake it off and then rushed forward.

"Rei!" he said, falling to his knees as he turned her over gently, "Oh, Kami, I'm…I…Rei, please…"

Suddenly, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Don't worry," a voice called out, "I'm perfectly fine."

He spun around. She was gazing coolly at him, her palm open. In it, a swirling blue vortex could be seen. She opened up her other palm, and chakra started to gather there as well.

"Don't underestimate me, Haru," she said, "I've mastered the best of the Uzumaki and the Hyuuga clan. I don't go down that easily."

He gritted his teeth, then rushed forward, his kunai out, eyes blazing. He was mere inches away, then…

"_Shuguhakke Rokujyuuyon Shou!_" she screamed, her arms going all around her. There was a flash of light, a groan, and then…nothing.

The smoke cleared. Haru was on his back, breathing hard. He was bleeding badly.

Rei glanced at him. "My mom's original _Shuguhakke Rokujyuuyon Shou _is deadly enough, because of the chakra she can easily release from her hands. However, that ability wasn't passed onto me, so I decided to combine the _Rasengan _with it, making it twice as deadly. I told you. The best of both clans."

He could only glare at her weakly. The triumphant smirk slid from her face as she walked over and knelt down next to him. She placed her hand on his chest. Green chakra started to glow.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but with my dad watching…if I lost, I'd never hear the end of it."

"I would appreciate it," Naruto's voice rang out, "if you left that to the medic nins."

Rei jumped guiltily and immediately withdrew her hand.

Naruto was talking in whispers to the Feudal Lords. Rei turned around, hot tears stinging her eyes.

When the Feudal Lords of the Country of Lightning had asked for some ANBU members to help them in their fierce battles, Naruto had offered her and several other ANBU. They didn't think Rei could handle it, being only thirteen, so Naruto had her fight against Haru to prove she could do it.

She slowly walked away from the arena. She wished the whole damn day would be over already. She couldn't take any more of this.

"That was great, honey."

Rei looked up. Hinata was there, her face shining. She placed her hands on Rei's shoulders.

"Your _Habbushou Kaiten _was perfect. That was the one Hyuuga move I could never master, " she whispered, "your uncle Neji would have been so proud."

Rei nodded, unable to speak. She knew that her uncle had been killed off when he was only sixteen, but her mom never told her who killed him. All her dad said was that he had faced off against a powerful ninja and had lost. Badly.

Hinata enveloped her in a hug, "I'm sorry you had to go through this," she whispered, "I know how close you and Haru are."

Rei felt a lump form in her throat. So her mom did know…

"I wish dad wouldn't be like this," she murmured into her shoulder, "I wish he never forced me to join the ANBU. When I was offered, I wanted to refuse, but…well…you know."

Hinata nodded.

"Come on," she said, trying to cheer Rei up, "let's celebrate. Ramen?"

Rei immediately brightened at the thought of her favorite food.

"Great!" she said happily. "Let's go!"

* * *

Naruto sighed as he settled into his chair. The whole damn morning had been pressing enough. Now, there were reports of several Konoha nin deaths in the forbidden forest. Apparently, some Sanin had decided to attack them.

He gritted his teeth as he crumpled the report into a tight ball. Darn that Gaara, letting his Sanin kill off _his _people like that.

"_You're being totally unreasonable," Sasuke said, trying to get him to stay put, "Gaara didn't want this war to break out. If you keep killing off his nins, you can be sure of an all-out war!"_

"Stupid," he muttered, "I'm just retaliating. I'm the defender here. He's the offender. Simple as that."

"Are you really so sure about that, Naruto-kun?"

He looked up. Hinata was looking at him, her eyes speaking loud and clear. He sighed.

"Come on, Hinata. Not you too. How many times do I have to remind people that _he _attacked first?"

"He said they had been acting-"

"Against his orders. I know. But let's put an emphasis on 'he said'. He doesn't have any proof. The nins we captured said they had been following his orders. Nins. Plural. As in, more than one."

"They could have been lying."

"_He _could have been lying."

"Naruto-kun," she sighed, then at down, "look. Remember the night he first became Kazekage?"

"How could I forget?"

"Weren't you the one he gave his promise to? That he would never let blood spill on the sand? That they would never attack Konoha again?"

"Just goes to show you that he can't keep a promise."

"Naruto-kun, please!" she wrung her hands, exasperated, "I can't explain it, but I know that Gaara's telling the truth. Please…try to talk to him again."

"Out of the question," Naruto said, standing up and turning his back, "he'll probably have the whole village on me the moment I put one foot on their 'sand'."

"You don't even know that."

"Still."

"Please," she whispered, touching him slightly on his cheek so he could look at her, "just try. I'm sure he won't do it. Trust me."

He looked at her silver orbs, and he just…melted. She had that certain effect on him.

"Alright," he said softly, "I guess it couldn't hurt."

She smiled as he gathered her closer and pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

Kei closed her eyes, feeling the slight breeze flow through her jet-black hair. It was all so silent. Perfect.

Her teal eyes snapped open, and she jumped up. Four kunai in each hand. Eight targets. She flipped over and flung two kunai at two targets. The first one struck the middle while the other went clean off. She placed her feet firmly on an overhead branch and pushed off in another direction. She flung another kunai. It hit the second one, and the force caused both to bounce off each other and hit the correct target. She twirled, then flung the remaining. All of them hit the targets.

She landed on her feet, and looked up. the last two kunai didn't hit the middle. One was on the outer rim of the target. The other one was a mere two inches from the middle.

"Darn it," she whispered.

"Whoa. Where'd you learn that?"

She whirled around. Shien was standing there, looking at the targets.

"Oh, I perfected the three P's." she said, smiling playfully.

"Which would be…?"

"Practice, practice, practice."

"Oh, right," he walked over and shoved her on the arm, "you sound like my dad."

"Why don't you try?"

"What?" he exclaimed, taken aback, "I…no! I…I can't! I-I mean…"

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and stuffing the kunai in it, "no one will see you."

"And I take it you're part of the 'no one' category?"

She giggled. "Except for me. Now, come one."

He sighed.

"If it'll make you happy…"

He clenched his fist, feeling the dull edges of the kunai handles.

_No need to do any fancy twirling, _he told himself, _just jump up and hit the targets. Plain and simple. No need to make a fool of yourself._

He took a deep breath, and then leapt up. He kept his eyes open. Quick as a flash, he twirled in mid-air and hit all the targets, straight in the middle.

Kei's eyes and mouth were wide open when landed back on the ground.

"And you're the one who said you can't?" she asked weakly, as she took the kunai back from him.

"I just used the technique I learned from my mom's side of the family. _Hakkeshou Kaiten, _Ultimate Defense. You twirl rapidly, while you release chakra from your whole body."

Kai took a step back, looking awe-struck.

"You can release chakra from your whole body? That's…amazing!"

Shien blinked once, then smiled. "Nope. That technique wasn't passed on to me, but I did master the 'spinning in mid-air' part. I don't use it so much, though. I'm a medic nin. Not suitable for combat."

"Could have fooled me," she said, tucking the kunai back into her pouch. She turned away and made her way behind the trees.

Shien looked puzzled. _What the heck?_

She reappeared a few minutes later. She now wore a green jacket over her black, long-sleeved tee-shirt.

"You're…Chuunin?" He guessed.

"Jounin."

"Oh. Sorry."

"S'okay. Hey, want to grab some lunch? My treat."

Shien shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Kai smiled. "I know a place near the Kazekage's tower, and it's a favorite spot of the Kazekage. I think they serve his favorite food."

Shien felt like saying that the Kazekage was his godfather, and then decided against it. She didn't need to know that piece of information.

* * *

Gaara was furious.

"I don't get it," he said, agitated, "why aren't they listening to me? I can't believe they would just go and kill Konoha nins like that!"

The girl next to him shook her head. "I've sent them away to get locked up."

Gaara groaned. "Naruto's not going to like this…"

"Sir?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Nothing. I…I'm going out for a while. Fresh air."

"B-but…sir! You have a meeting with the Feudal Lords from the Country of Lightning in just a few minutes."

"The hell I care." I snapped, slamming the door behind him.

She winced. Sometimes, she wanted to kill the damn SOB.

* * *

"Haru? Can you hear me?"

"Of course. I'm injured. Not deaf."

Rei had to smile. He was still as witty as ever.

"So…how are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by about a hundred cyclones all at the same time."

The smile dropped off her face. "About that…I'm really sorry."

"It's alright." He reached up and gently laid his hand on her cheek. She could feel them reddening, "I know how strict your dad is. Don't worry about it. Having a mom as a medic nin can help, you know."

"Still." She sighed, "I feel awful. I shouldn't have resorted to that. It was too…"

"Harsh. Gruesome. Merciless. Cold."

"Ouch."

"_I _should be saying that."

Rei giggled, and then reached behind her. "I brought apples. Want some?"

"Why not?"

She took out a knife. "I'll cut it into pieces. That should make it easier to eat."

"Thanks." Haru closed his coal-black eyes. It really did hurt, but it would have hurt more if she had meant to hurt him.

_Back then, _he let the memories wash over him, _I was holding back. I really didn't want to hurt her, and I wanted her to win. No way am I going to tell her that, though. She'll just lose confidence again. _

He remembered the fright he had when he thought he had really hit her, and he shivered inwardly. If that had really happened, he would never have forgiven himself.

_So what if she's five years younger than me? _He thought, smiling, as he accepted the apple slices from her, _that doesn't lessen the feelings I have for her. _

_Not that I can tell her, _he reminded himself, balancing the plate on his lap, _she'd probably think I was messing with her._

A/N: ………..I have no idea what to say.

Bye bye.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: …there's this song that is just stuck in my head, so don't be surprised if I use it as a song chapter sooner or later.

Chapter 5

It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, in her opinion. They had just managed to catch a glimpse of the sunset before it finally snuggled down to sleep behind the majestic purple mountains. The breeze was cool and chilly, but not so chilly that you needed to huddle to keep warm. Their spot on the grass was perfect. The grass around them was soft and quite comfortable. She sighed and leaned back, her ebony hair cascading around her arms as she folded them behind her head.

"In my opinion, this was probably the best day I've ever had," Kei said, teal-colored eyes shining.

"It's because of the company," Shien said jokingly.

Kei smirked. "You wish."

Shien gave a short laugh, then turned his full attention to the scene in front of him. It was Mother Nature at her best, and it was as perfect as a painting. He closed his eyes, trying to imprint the image in his mind. He wanted to remember this day forever.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Shien shrugged. He didn't know why, but he was already comfortable around her.

"Why'd you run away?"

Shien groaned. "Any thing else, besides that?"

Kai shook her head.

"Fine, fine. Guess I can tell you. Just promise you won't hate me when I'm done telling you the whole tale."

"Why? You kill someone?"

"Nope. It's…well…you've heard of the Hokage, right? Of Konoha?"

Kai scoffed. "I don't know anybody in Suna who hasn't heard of that SOB. Gaara-sama's been trying as hard as he can to explain to him that the mass killing wasn't his fault, but the stubborn, hard-headed bastard won't listen. It's been driving Gaara-sama nuts!"

"Well…let's just say, I got fed up with him and decided to offer my services to Suna instead. I was like a medic nin in battle, waiting for the people to get injured. Then I'd creep in and heal them. That was it. Harmless, right?"

Kei nodded.

"Well, apparently, he took it as 'siding with the enemy'."

"That's stupid."

"Sh-yeah. Anyway, he branded me a traitor, so I had to run off to wait for things to cool a bit."

"But they didn't."

"Obviously. If anything else, they've gotten worse. When I came back, I was treated as a traitor. He chased me away, again, and sent a couple of ANBU to chase my sorry little hide."

"Ouch," she said sympathetically.

"Yeah. So…I ended up in the stream, and that's when you fished me out."

"You make yourself sound like a fish."

"Right."

Kei sighed. For a few moments, silence passed. Then, she broke it,

"I hate him."

Shien turned to her, eyes furrowed.

"The Hokage, I mean."

Shien felt a lump in his throat. Now, he really couldn't tell her.

"The mass killing happened when I was only eight years old. My dad was part of the people who killed the Konoha nins. Because of that, the Hokage had him killed. He sent his ninja's after him, along with all the other people who participated in the mass killing."

Shien's eyes widened. That part, he never knew.

"We…were at home, when it happened." Kei clenched her fist, "we were eating dinner…laughing…then…the door flew open."

Her voice stuck in her throat. She swallowed, then continued.

"I'll never forget that part," she whispered, "the Hokage was standing there, looking menacingly at my father. My mother shoved me under the table and told me to be quiet. I could see and hear everything that was happening."

"My dad tried to plead. Told him he was innocent. Explained that it had been a matter of misinformation. His friends had told him that it was a direct order from the Kazekage. He was just doing what he had been told. The Hokage seemed angrier after that. He…he killed off my dad. And my mom. And he promised that the Kazekage would be next.."

Shien felt feint. He couldn't believe…his dad had actually…

"I was so sure he was going to kill me off, too. But I guess…he has a heart in there somewhere, because he spared me. Thanks to him, I ended up bouncing from one foster home to another before I decided to live on my own. I was fifteen then, and I've managed for a year now."

She turned to him, her face angry, but her eyes brimming with tears. "I hated his companions for dragging him into the mass killing, but I hated the Hokage even more. That's why I've been training. Some day…some day…I'm going to kill the people the Hokage holds dear to his heart."

Now Shien felt really sick. He wanted to run away. Hide. Or go back to bed and hope that this was all a dream. That it wasn't really happening.

"Hey, Shien,"

He turned to her, sure that he looked pale as a sheet.

"You're from Konoha. Tell me. Does the Hokage have a family? Or close friends? Anyone that he absolutely cares for?"

He couldn't tell her. His mom…Rei and Ken…uncle Sasuke and aunt Sakura…their lives depended on him. He had seen only a fraction of what she could do. Who knew how much more she was capable of?

"Well…yeah, but I don't know their names."

"Oh," she looked disappointed, "well, then, could you at least tell me the name of the Hokage? I could find out who shares the same surname, find out their connection with him, and then kill them off."

_Go ahead, _he thought weakly, _kill off the guy sitting in front of you right now. _

"Sorry. I don't."

She looked at him incredulously. "He's your Hokage, but you don't know his name?"

"I…only refer to him as Hokage-sama."

Her face dropped. She sighed, and then buried her head in her folded arms. For a few moments, silence passed between them.

Shien looked across the horizon. The moon had fully risen, casting the mountains in pale silver, looking so warm and inviting. The grass was still soft and comfortable.

But it was no longer perfect.

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath as his horse drew closer and closer to the gate of Suna.

_It's not too late to turn back, _he told himself, _no one's expecting me. I can tell Hinata I chickened out at the last moment._

He wasn't scared. He was ashamed.

_I've been trying to avoid the truth for so long, _he thought, closing his eyes, _but I really am ashamed. Ashamed of the way I've been acting. I…I…_

He stopped his horse. He couldn't take it anymore.

He jumped off and tied the horse to a tree. Then, he sat down and closed his eyes, feeling the wind blowing through his golden locks.

_I just want to rest…_he thought, _I can't face him yet. I can't…_

"_Please believe me. I never asked my men to attack your village. Think. Why would I do that?"_

"_How should I know? I'm not you."_

"_Naruto, please…I thought…you were my friend. Why can't you trust me?"_

"_I've trusted a lot of people before, and…guess what? I ended up hurt by them."_

"_I'm not those other people! I'm your friend. I know…I've made mistakes in the past. I know I must have caused you pain before-"_

"_You're damn right you caused me pain! When you attacked Hinata, what did you think I felt? When I realized that it was you behind all that happened, what did you think I felt? When you turned my own best friend against me, WHAT DID YOU THINK I FELT??"_

_His teal eyes, brimming in tears…_

_Let him cry…let him experience the pain I felt, when…I saw people dear to me…dead. Massacred in the killing. Kurenai-sensei…Iruka-sensei…Konohamaru…_

"_Naruto! Would you stop being so stubborn and listen?!"_

"_Naruto, it wasn't his fault, but he thinks it is! He's succumbed to sickness, and the medic nins are accrediting it to over-stress!"_

"_Whom are you worried about? Nobody!"_

_No…yes…I'm worried about my family…don't say that I'm not worried about anyone…_

_Why do you think I trained them so hard? I know how hard it is…to be weak. To be a dropout. I saw what Hinata had to go through…what I went through, being underestimated by everyone. _

_I wanted them…to be strong enough…to protect themselves, when they'd be attacked. Because…because I won't always be around…to protect them…_

He woke up with a start, breathing hard. Sweat was pouring down his face.

The past would never let him go. The past would forever cling on to him, reminding him…keeping him guilty.

* * *

Kei drew in a sharp breath. There he was. Immobile…unaware that she was just a few feet above him.

The leaves cloaked her, making her almost invisible.

_Damn, _she thought, _he looks a lot like Shien. If I didn't know better…_

She shook her head. _Don't think. Just act. You swore on your parents' grave…you'd kill their murderer. You'll make him pay._

With a shaking had, she took out a kunai and rolled an exploding tag around it. It would explode the moment it hit anything solid.

She held it out.

_Nothing fancy, _she told herself, _no need to show yourself. Keep it simple._

She took a deep breath…

…and flung it down.

A/N: BOOOM!!

Just joking…

Oh, next chapter _might _be the last chapter, so…

Yeah.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Of course I'm not going to kill him yet! How dare you suggest such a thing??

Kidding. Seriously. I'm not going to let our favorite blonde die yet.

**Chapter 6**

Shien lay tossing and turning on the bed. For some reason, he couldn't sleep.

He knew that downstairs, Gaara was taking a rest. No, he wasn't sleeping. He couldn't, after all.

Shien sighed. Why the heck did he feel so…uneasy?

_No use kidding yourself, _he told himself, shaking his head, _you know why you're so uneasy. It's because Kei's out to get you. The weird things is, she doesn't even know she is, but you know. _

The irony and weirdness of the sentence made him laugh out loud. It quickly died down, though.

_This is stupid! _He thought angrily, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. No use staying down if he couldn't sleep.

He turned to the window and flung it open.

"At least put on a jacket. It's cold out there."

He froze at the sound of the voice he knew too well. Slowly, he turned around.

Gaara was leaning on the doorframe, his face emotionless.

"I-"

Gaara shook his head. "It's okay. Just take care."

Shien smiled thankfully, then jumped out.

Gaara watched him silently for a few seconds, and then turned and walked down the stairs.

_The hospital's still open, _he thought, glancing at the clock that hung over the door, _I can still visit nii-san._

The sand engulfed him, and, pretty soon, he found himself in Kankurou's hospital room.

He walked over to the bed, drew up a chair, and sat down. The whole room was in complete darkness, save for the feeble rays of moonlight that penetrated the grimy windows.

Gaara sighed. The medic nins didn't say whether his condition was improving, but…

"You look depressed. Something wrong?"

Gaara nearly fell off the chair. He regained his composure and looked down at his brother's pale face.

"Well, aside from the face that my nii-san is in the hospital…everything's just fine," Gaara gave him a wan smile.

Kankurou chuckled softly. "Sorry it took so long for me to snap out of it," he said apologetically, "those Konoha nins can definitely give better than they take."

"I-it's okay," Gaara said softly. He didn't say anything after that. Finally, Kankurou smiled and sat up.

"Come here," he said, smiling fondly at his younger brother.

Without another thought, Gaara flung himself into his older brother's arms, not caring that this was the _exact _opposite of how a Kazekage would probably act.

"I…was really worried," he said, his voice muffled by Kankurou's clothes.

Kankurou stroked his back. "I know you were," he said softly, "I know."

They stayed like that for a few moments, completely forgetting every thing else. Finally, Gaara let go.

"S-sorry," he said softly, wiping at his eyes, "I…I couldn't help it. I mean…after so many let-downs…disappointments…it's a welcome change."

Kankurou's face turned serious. "Gaara," he sighed, "you're talking on too many things. It's bad enough you have to deal with being Kazekage. Why do you still worry about others? Sooner or later, the pressure's going to push you down so deep, you'll lose it."

Gaara looked away, his face shadowed heavily.

"You never used to be so caring," Kankurou said, smiling slightly, "what happened?"

Gaara sighed and shook his head.

"It was all because of that night, right?" Kankurou prodded him.

"I…felt ashamed," Gaara finally whispered, "because…because I…was so blind. Naruto…was just like me. Ostracized. Shunned. But he…didn't love only himself. He didn't fight to protect _only _himself. I was ashamed…of my arrogance."

Kankurou sighed. "Leave the past behind, Gaara. That was then, this is now. You're still young, but you're taking a mature outlook on the whole Konoha-Suna war business."

Gaara sighed as well. "I just…really don't know what to do anymore. I used to think that you and nee-san were scared of me, so I simply decided to stay away from you. I thought I could handle everything on my own. When nee-san died, I blamed myself. You know that."

Kankurou nodded.

"To me, that was all the more reason to keep my distance from you. I was close to nee-san, and it got her killed. When I learned from Sakura-san that you got hurt, I…was ready to blame myself all over again."

"And?"

"What do you mean, 'and'? That's it. Here I am, taking out all my troubles on you, thinking that you can help me, when I should be helping you. I haven't changed, have I? I'm still as arrogant as ever."

Silence met his words.

Suddenly, a chuckle escaped Kankurou's lips. "Funny," he said, smiling, "you'd have thought that someone so arrogant would come every day to check on me. Someone so full of himself would open his house to his godson, the son of the guy trying to kill you. If that's arrogance, I'd like to see what humility is."

Gaara had to smile.

* * *

The explosion of the tag nearly blew her off the branch. She somersaulted in midair and landed a few meters away from the spot.

_It…worked! _Kei could hardly believe it. To think that she, single-handedly, got rid of the Rokudaime!

_It really worked! _She pumped her fist, feeling ecstatic. _I did it!_

"Don't get too excited."

She stopped and whipped around.

He was standing there, looking especially foreboding. His arms were folded, and his eyes were narrowed.

She leapt away, ready for whatever tricks he had up his sleeves.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Kei Hiyomura," she spat out.

"Hiyomura…Hiyomura…" he seemed lost in thought.

"Glad to see you still remember," she said, slowly drawing out her kunai. "Hiyomura. You murdered my parents more than eight years ago. You spared me, thought. But because of that, you made the worst mistake of your sorry little life."

Five kunai were clutched in each of her hands. She could feel her palms sweating. "I'm glad you came here tonight," she took her fighting stance, "you've saved me the trouble of hunting you down."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He didn't blame her for her anger.

_It was stupid of me to kill them, _he thought, bowing his head, _if anything; she has every right to kill me._

"I'm sorry about your family," he said softly, "but…"

"You have every right to be sorry, bastard!" Kei yelled. She leapt up and flung them at him.

Naruto dodged them with amazing ease. He had no desire to do this. He just wanted to go home. To run away from the memories that had somehow found him.

She gritted her teeth, then performed some hand-seals.

"Katon…Housenka no Jutsu!"

Naruto performed some hand seals as well, and then spewed water out of his mouth. The two collided. It's not hard to tell which one died out.

Kei took out several kunai, attached some exploding tags to them, and then jumped up. She aimed one at him.

He caught it in his finger and flung it back, all in the span of a second.

Kei's eyes widened as the kunai came hurtling back at her. She hit it with the kunai in her hand, but the result of the collision and the two exploding tags exploding at the same time caused her to be hurtled through the air. She slammed against a tree, and feel to a crumpled heap on the ground.

He stood over her.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the Hokage of Konohagakure," he glared at her, "next time you feel like assassinating me, work on your techniques."

Kei's eyes widened.

"_I'm Kei. Nice to meet you."_

"_Uzumaki Shien," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. _

"No…" she whispered.

Naruto didn't hear her. He turned around and mounted his horse.

"It was a mistake to come here," he said darkly, "I'm going back."

He walked away towards his horse, untied it, and jumped on it's back. With a final look at her, he set it off into a gallop, soon disappearing in the darkness of the night.

"_Uzumaki Shien…"_

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the Hokage of Konohagakure…"_

_Uzumaki…_

"_It was a mistake to come here…"_

"Yeah," she whispered, clenching her fists, "it was."

* * *

Shien pounded on the door. He had been knocking for three minutes now, and there was still no answer.

"Come on, Kei," he muttered, "answer the door, darn it! Don't tell me you went to Konoha already…!"

He pounded again for a good ten seconds, but his knocks remained unanswered.

"Damn it!" he pulled his hand back, concentrating his chakra into the palm, and then swung it forward.

The door exploded into a thousand, tiny bits.

"Kei!" he called, stepping into the foyer, "Kei! Are you in here?"

He walked deeper in. "Listen. Sorry about the door, but I have to talk to you! Kei, if you're still sleeping, I'm going to punch you awake!"

"No need."

He gasped and whirled around. Kei was standing on the doorstep, looking strangely foreboding. Her body blocked the feeble rays of the moon, so her whole front was heavily shadowed.

"Thank heavens." He said, relieved. "Listen, I need to tell you something."

"No need."

"No ne-? Why do you keep saying that, anyway?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's nothing you need to tell me anymore," she whispered, "because I'm never going to believe you. _Ever._"

"Kei?" Shien walked toward her. "What's wrong?" Something inside him was telling him that she knew. That somehow she had found out.

But she couldn't have!

"You lied to me." She said flatly. "Uzumaki Shien. Or is it just a coincidence that the Rokudaime shares your surname?"

Shien didn't know what to say.

"H-how did you-?"

"Find out?" Her voice was still flat. Emotionless. "Your dear dad decided to pay the village a visit. I tried to attack him, but he's just too strong. For now."

Shien drew back, surprised. "He…he c-came? Here?"

"Yeah."

"Kei, please…" Shien held out his arm, as if trying to hold her.

Kei drew back, teal eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't touch me!" She yelled. "Don't ever come near me again! I can't believe I ever believed a liar like you!"

"Kei, it's not like that! I…I just couldn't tell you the truth."

"Why not?!"

"Because I…I…" Shien trailed off. He hung his head. "I can't tell you that either."

He looked up.

She was gone.

* * *

Naruto sped down the road, willing his horse to go faster.

_I can't believe you, Gaara, _he thought angrily, gripping the reins tightly, _to think that you'd stoop that low…_

He shook his head. It didn't matter what Hinata would say anymore.

Gaara was out to kill him.

And he was just protecting himself.

A/N: Oops. Not quite the last chapter yet. He he…


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: **Before **you read this chapter, may I just point out that the first part is in Kei's POV, then the next will be in Shien's, then Naruto's, then Hinata's…you get the picture.

May I also point out that nothing exciting happens here. If you hate emo stuffs, then skip this chapter and wait for me to post the next one.

Thanks!

Chapter 7:

**Kei:**

Chilling. Freezing. Cold.

The cold air cutting against my skin…it stings…

But who cares?

I don't.

She walked on and on through the cemetery path, her hands shoved deep into her pockets

I can barely notice my surroundings anymore. Tombstone after tombstone, it all looks the same. They're all lifeless slabs of rock and marble, standing upright on the ground.

My life has been turned upside-down so many times already, I can barely tell the upside from the downside.

Something caught her eye

Gleaming white marble…

A single, solitary tombstone stood in the very heart of the field

Dad.

I don't care about the cold. Daddy's here. I can tell him everything…he'll give me great advice.

You will, won't you, Daddy?

She ran forward, dropping to her knees and hugging the tombstone

You've always helped me. Always told me what to do. Taught me how to be independent.

Well, right now…I need someone else to make the decisions for me. Because I don't know what to think anymore.

She let go and wiped away a few stray tears

Remember my promise, daddy? That I'd kill the very person who killed you? You and mum? Well, good news. I found out how to get to him, daddy! I found out his last name, so…so I can kill all of his relatives. I can finally avenge your deaths.

She was smiling tenderly, as though she could see her dad's face smiling at her

Finally…

I…I…

The smile slowly dropped off her face. She clenched her fists, the tears flowing

…I don't know…I…I found out that Shien's his son. You remember Shien, right? I took him here once to introduce the two of you.

Uzumaki Shien.

Dad…I…it's…the Rokudaime. The one who killed you. His name is _Uzumaki _Naruto.

That's right. You see the problem, right daddy?

She buried her face in her hands

I…I'm sorry. But…I've fallen in love with him. With Shien.

Fallen in love with a man I've sworn to hate. Simply because he shares the blood of the man who spilt your blood. I swore to kill him…

…but I can't.

Tell me what to do, daddy. I'm lost.

It's just too confusing.

Please, daddy?

The tomb remained silent. She could no longer feel the warmth she used to feel. She felt so…alone

Please?

**Shien:**

I hate you.

Curse it all, I hate you so much, Dad.

He leaned forward, gripping the reins of the horse tightly, willing it to go faster

If you hadn't been so power-hungry…so unreasonable…

Your fault. All your fault.

He shook his head, but the thoughts kept coming back

Damn it. Why _her_? Why her family, of all people? Why'd you have to kill her dad and her mum?

A few stray tears dripped down his face, but he hardly noticed

What the hell is wrong you?

I love her.

And all because of you…she hates me. Because I'm your son. Because I share the same blood that murdered her family.

I share the blood of a murderer.

Gaara may see your good points…Mom may see the positive side of you, but I don't. All I see is the bastard who brought me into this world. The bastard who doesn't have a heart beating that cold, uncaring body of yours.

And now, I don't care what you'll do to me.

I'm going back to Konoha to confront you, once and for all.

Because I'm tired of running away. Tired of hiding.

I hate you, dad.

And it's time you saw that.

**Naruto:**

I can't take this anymore.

He gripped the reins tightly, no longer caring about his surroundings. The damn horse could have been going at a trot, and he wouldn't have noticed

I should never have thought…never expected…

He closed his eyes, wishing the tears wouldn't fall

My fault. All my fault.

So many things aren't making sense…can't understand…can't take it anymore…

Does he really hate me that much? Does he really want to kill me?

He turned to look at the gate of Suna, which was slowly slipping away as his horse brought him down the path leading to Konoha

That girl…she was obviously on his orders.

He shook his head. The thoughts weren't making sense

No…she wasn't. She wanted to kill me…because…I killed…someone.

Who did I kill?

It's Gaara's fault.

No…that's not true…I can…can't trust him…anymore…

Go back.

To have people kill me. No…no…I'm insane.

Shien is still there. He's still safe.

In Gaara's hands.

His eyes widened as the thought struck him. He brought his horse to a stop

No. No! NO!

He…he's in danger! Gaara's going to kill him!

Not him. He only wants to kill me.

No. He's…my friend…I can trust him…

He yanked on the reins of the horse, and it turned tail and galloped towards Suna

…turn back.

Have to go back.

**Hinata:**

I don't know what to do anymore.

Rei and Ken said I shouldn't have let Naruto go to Suna.

But…I trust Gaara! I know…he would never…Naruto's his friend.

His mind is stable. He won't attack Naruto.

She clenched her fists, looking at the full moon. For some reason, it no longer gave her the calming sensation she used to feel before after looking at it. Now, it just seemed like a silver orb…hanging…

Useless.

I hate this. I'm sitting here, not knowing. Not being able to do anything.

She could feel the tears welling up

It's like I've hardly changed. It's like I'm still the useless burden of the group. The girl who's part of the whole scene but not really helping.

She stood up and walked around, her knuckles to her mouth

What more can I do? My husband and my son are in danger, and here I am, crying. So stupid.

…no more.

She clenched her fists, and then turned to grab her jacket

I'm going to stop hiding.

She shrugged it on and slipped into her open-toed boots

Wait for me…I'm going to help.

**Gaara:**

What more can I do?

The villagers won't listen. They just keep attacking…nothing else I can do.

He buried his face in his hands

Nii-san's not out of the hospital yet, and I don't want to burden him with _my _responsibilities.

But what more can I do?

He sighed, clutching the edge of the desk

I've spent too much time hiding. I…I have to fight. I have to warn the villagers. I have to stop them from killing my friends…

Even if it means having to kill them in the process.

He stood up, his fists clenched in the process

Naruto might not listen to what I have to say. He may even try to kill me. Who do I turn to? Uchiha Sasuke, maybe…he did promise…

Hinata.

He stood frozen, as his thoughts suddenly drifted to Hinata. Why they did, he didn't know

Hinata. She…she'll understand. We…we did become friends. And…and…she's the only one who Naruto will listen…really listen…to.

He reached the doorway. He flung it open, basking in the warm moonlight that flooded in. Without another word, he allowed the sand to swallow him

Konoha…she'll be there. I can explain…

…I can finally explain.

A/N: Let's see…Naruto and Shien will meet each other on the way there. Gaara will arrive to an empty house in Konoha, and Hinata will probably get lost.

Oh yeah. That's nice. (Sarcastic)


End file.
